Michelle O Faith calls out the fetishisation of black women on “Black Lolita”

The track, taken from a trilogy of EPs under the name Lagoon, artfully reconstructs the tale of Lolita to underline the issue of the fetishisation of black women in the music industry. “The 'black' in the title is both intentional and significant,” explains Michelle O Faith, “as the song speaks to the fetishisation of young black women, specifically, by older white men in the industry. (I have certainly experienced the above - more than once).”

Commanding chords complement Faith's wildly impressive range of pitch as she ebbs and flows over the piercing beat with absolute ease - her background as a concert-level opera singer comes as little surprise. She was touted by PRS Foundation for the Women Make Music Fund to record her Birthday Blues EP, and now she’s being backed by MOBO to produce the Lagoon trilogy, Volume II of which will release this autumn.

Quoting the track's lyrics, “It’s the way you look at me when we are together / Like you don’t care you oughta know better… Wanna dress me up in white summer dresses / Brush my long tresses,” Faith explains, “In this awareness lies the key to me subverting role of victim, and actually becoming the empowered one in the dynamic, as I remain one step ahead of this particular brand of Humbert.”

While the theme of “Black Lolita” is somber, the imaginative video and beautifully put-together release give a truly gratifying feeling, realising Faith is the one in complete control of her creative output.